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UPDATE: Voting Rights Moving Forward!

By: Elisabeth MacNamara06/25/2014

There’s finally some good news on the voting rights front in Congress. Today, on the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision that gutted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, the Senate will finally hold a hearing on the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 (VRAA).

Discrimination at the ballot box is real. This fall Americans across the country will head to the polls for the 2014 elections. While, unfortunately, there will be some voters that encounter discrimination in November, the problem isn’t complicated. Access to the vote is not about politics; it’s about justice and equality. We must ensure that each and every eligible voter is treated fairly at the ballot box and has an equal right and equal access to vote, we must continue to make our voices heard.

The League remains hopeful that Congress can move quickly to repair the damage caused by the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The VRAA is an important step forward for our democracy, where the right to vote is not about politics or the outcome of elections. This legislation will modernize the coverage formula for preclearance to ensure it is based on recent acts of discrimination and provide narrow mechanisms to prevent discrimination in voting nationwide. It also provides a national notification system to keep voters up-to-date on changes related to upcoming elections.